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. 2020 Dec 17;12(12):3862.
doi: 10.3390/nu12123862.

Dietary Fiber Intake Alters Gut Microbiota Composition but Does Not Improve Gut Wall Barrier Function in Women with Future Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy

Kate I Tomsett  1 , Helen L Barrett  2 , Evelyn E Dekker  3 , Leonie K Callaway  4 , David H McIntyre  2 , Marloes Dekker Nitert  1
Affiliations

Dietary Fiber Intake Alters Gut Microbiota Composition but Does Not Improve Gut Wall Barrier Function in Women with Future Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy

Kate I Tomsett et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Pregnancy alters the inflammatory state, metabolic hormones, and gut microbiota composition. It is unclear if the lower abundance of dietary fiber-fermenting, short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria observed in hypertension also occurs in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP). This study investigated the relationship between dietary fiber intake and the gut microbiota profile at 28 weeks gestation in women who developed HDP in late pregnancy (n = 22) or remained normotensive (n = 152) from the Study of PRobiotics IN Gestational diabetes (SPRING). Dietary fiber intake was classified as above or below the median of 18.2 g/day. Gut microbiota composition was examined using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. The gut permeability marker zonulin was measured in a subset of 46 samples. In women with future HPD, higher dietary fiber intake was specifically associated with increased abundance of Veillonella, lower abundance of Adlercreutzia, Anaerotruncus and Uncl. Mogibacteriaceae and higher zonulin levels than normotensive women. Fiber intake and zonulin levels were negatively correlated in women with normotensive pregnancies but not in pregnancies with future HDP. In women with normotensive pregnancies, dietary fiber intake may improve gut barrier function. In contrast, in women who develop HDP, gut wall barrier function is impaired and not related to dietary fiber intake.

Keywords: dietary fiber; gut microbiota; hypertension; inflammation; pregnancy; zonulin.

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Conflict of interest statement

The SPRING study received support from Chr Hansen A/S in the form of donations of the probiotics and placebo capsules.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Alpha and beta diversity of the gut microbiota in women with HDP and NT. Alpha diversity as measured by the Shannon index in women with future HDP (A) and NT women (B). Beta diversity as measured by unsupervised hierarchical clustering by PCoA in women with HDP (C) and NT women (D). Beta diversity as measured by supervised hierarchical clustering by RDA in women with HDP (E) and NT women (F). Yellow symbols, lower fiber; blue symbols, higher fiber. HDP = Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. NT = Normotensive.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Comparison of genus abundance in women with future HDP at 28 weeks gestation with low and high fiber intake. (A) Genus abundance with fiber intake below (lower fiber; yellow boxes) or above (higher fiber; blue boxes) the median (18.2 g/day). (B) Genus abundance with fiber intake in the lowest (Q1; <13.9 g/day; yellow boxes) and highest (Q4; >23.1 g/day; blue boxes) of fiber intake. * = p < 0.05, ** = p < 0.01.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Comparison of genera abundance at 28 weeks gestation in women with lower and higher fiber intake who remain normotensive. (A) Genus abundance with fiber intake below (lower fiber; yellow boxes) or above (higher fiber; blue boxes) the median (18.2 g/day). (B) Genus abundance with fiber intake in the lowest (Q1; <13.9 g/day; yellow boxes) and highest (Q4; >23.1 g/day; blue boxes) of fiber intake. * = p < 0.05, ** = p < 0.01.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Serum zonulin concentrations in HDP and NT pregnancies baseline and 28 weeks gestation. Serum zonulin concentrations in lower (LF) and higher fiber (HF) groups in future HDP (A) and NT women (C). (B) Correlation of dietary fiber intake and zonulin concentrations in HDP (B) and NT women (D). (E) Serum zonulin concentration in HDP and NT pregnancies at baseline and 28 weeks gestation. HDP = Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. NT = Normotensive. * = p < 0.05, ** = p < 0.01, *** = p < 0.001.
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